A county commissioner from southwestern Pennsylvania is the newest Republican to join the field vying to become the state's next lieutenant governor.

Washington County Commissioner Diana Irey Vaughan said Tuesday that she'll seek the nomination. The 55-year-old Irey Vaughan has run unsuccessfully for state treasurer and Congress. She's been a county commissioner since 1996.

March 6 is the deadline for candidates to file paperwork for the May 15 primary ballot.

Five Democrats have lined up to contest the re-election bid of Lt. Gov. Mike Stack in the party's primary.

Pennsylvania’s hate crimes law protects people on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin. But it doesn’t include several other categories—like ancestry, disability, sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity.

Some lawmakers have been trying to change that—but not everyone is on-board.

The commonwealth’s hate crimes law didn’t always exclude protections for sexual orientation, disabilities, or gender identity. From 2002 to 2008, it protected an expanded number of groups.

Lt. Gov. Mike Stack "billed taxpayers for $34,000 worth of groceries, two leather cuff link boxes, flags and thousands of dollars of candy and snack bars while living at his state-operated mansion and collecting a $162,373 salary."

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Mike Stack is in Washington, D.C. Friday attending his first meeting as co-chair of the Military Affairs Committee of the National Lieutenant Governor’s Association.

Stack was asked to accept the appointment last month by NLGA chair Nancy Wyman, the lieutenant governor of Connecticut. Not only is this Stack’s first appearance as co-chair, but also his first meeting since being sworn in January.

When incoming Lieutenant Governor Mike Stack takes office in January, he says he might try to hold onto his seat in the state Senate, according to a report in PoliticsPA.

But a local political science professor said Stack wouldn’t be permitted to keep both jobs under the Pennsylvania Constitution.

“According to the constitution, if you’re a senator or a representative, you can’t have any other office that draws a salary,” said Kristin Kanthak, associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh.

Patients trust that their doctors are acting in their best interests, with opinions formed by years of experience, training, and studying. But what if that medical opinion was actually handed down by a politician?

A new bill proposed by Pennsylvania State Senator Mike Stack (D- Philadelphia) attempts to address that issue by preventing government bodies from requiring medical personnel to make decisions that are not medically supported.

For candidates vying to be the governor’s number two, denying one’s own policy platform is part of the process.

Mike Stack, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, said Monday he’ll march in lockstep with his de facto running mate, Democratic gubernatorial hopeful and York County businessman Tom Wolf.

There isn’t much daylight between the priorities of Mike Stack and Tom Wolf. Even so, Stack is distancing himself from prior votes and campaign stances during his four terms as a state senator representing Philadelphia.

Pennsylvanians owe $1 billion in unpaid fines and court costs, and a state lawmaker wants the scofflaws to pay up or lose their driver’s license and have any wages and lottery winnings attached.

State Senator Mike Stack (D-Philadelphia) has introduced two bills to pressure individuals to pay the fines, fees and delinquent costs they owe. Under SB 918 PennDOT would “suspend your driver’s license. If your driver’s license was about to expire, they wouldn’t renew it,” said Stack.

Pennsylvania is not known for its large population of sharks or elephants, but two state senators are taking steps to protect these, and some more common animals.

Sens. Mike Stack (D-Philadelphia) and Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery) say that bullhooks, and shark fin trade need to be banned in our State. Bullhooks are wooden boards with sharp hooks on the end intended to cause pain.

Initially touted as making the state’s Unemployment Compensation Fund solvent, Act 60 was passed in 2012 and implemented at the beginning of 2013. A provision in the Unemployment Compensation Solvency legislation changed the way unemployment compensation is calculated and paid to workers.

State Sen. Mike Stack (D-Philadelphia) is sponsoring a bill that would provide a $4,000 tax credit to small businesses that hire veterans.

“It’s a win/win because the employer will get a great employee in a veteran and be doing the right thing to hire one of our heroes and also get a tax credit,” Stack said. “So I think it’s job creation and it’s rewarding the folks that have fought for us.”

Stack notes the unemployment rate in Pennsylvania for veterans is 9.9 percent compared to the statewide unemployment rate of 7.8 percent.